Game 1
Dakota St.
Game 1
MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team played its first games outside the state of Arizona on Thursday, as the team traveled to Dakota State University for a doubleheader on Thursday.
The Tigers swept the Trojans behind strong pitching in game one and timely hitting in the finale. The Tigers are now 8-6 and have swept four doubleheaders this season.
In game one, the Tigers relied on the arm of senior pitcher Joey Fitzgerald (Fairmont, Minn.) in a 1-0 win. He threw a complete game shutout, allowing four hits and striking out three over seven innings of work. The win is the third of the season for Fitzgerald.
DWU scored the lone run of the game in the third inning, when senior Joey Kinley (Worthington, Minn.) scampered home on a wild pitch from Ryan Schlesser. DWU finished with four hits and two errors, while the Trojans had four hits and one error.
After falling behind 3-0 in the third inning, the Tigers responded for three runs in the fourth and two more in the sixth. DWU held on for a 5-4 win, the sixth in its last seven games. The Tigers got on the board when junior Neil Nagle (Oslo, Minn.) doubled to deep center to drive in two. Sophomore Chris Combs (Corvallis, Mont.) followed with a single to bring Nagle home in the third.
With the score tied at three in the sixth, Nagle picked up another RBI on a single. Combs drove in an insurance run later in the inning on a fielder's choice. DWU finished with five hits and two errors, while DSU had six hits and one error.
Junior Tanner Swets (Loveland, Colo.) got the win on the mound for DWU in relief. Swets pitched three innings, allowing one run and striking out three. Sophomore Steven Sommerville (Ajax, Ontario, Canada) pitched a scoreless seventh inning to pick up the save.
The Tigers take on Peru State College in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Sunday in Peru, Neb.